August 13, 2022

THIS WEEK IN HUMAN RIGHTS NEWS

The impact of the digital gender divide

Sources: ITU, GSMA, PNAS, ORF, The Hill  

As digital technology becomes a cornerstone of daily life, gender bias and oppression perpetuates inequalities in digital access, education and opportunities. 

Worldwide, girls and women are at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing information and communication technologies (often called ICTs). This inequality is referred to as the digital gender gap or the digital gender divide.

In 2021, the GSMA Association found that women were 7% less likely to own a cell phone and 16% less likely to use the internet. Digital gender disparities vary by country and region (as shown in the GSMA report). However, the reasons for the gap share global similarities. This includes gender disparities in other parts of society, such as the gender wage gap. Other obstacles include gaps in education, resulting in a lack of digital literacy.  

Digital gender disparities also go beyond access and internet use. The Hill recently reported on research from New York University that identified the real-world implications of gender bias in search engine algorithms. 

The study found that disparities could be seen at the national level in search results for images of the gender-neutral term ‘person’, which resulted in more image results of men. The exposure to gender bias in search engines was then replicated by a group of participants. The results, as noted by the study, ‘suggested a cycle of bias propagation between society, AI and users.’ 

The digital gender divide impacts the financial opportunities for women as well. In addition to not being able to participate in the digital economy as equally as male counterparts, women from certain regions were less likely to use financial technology (fintech). This results in fewer participation in loans, money transfers and other fintech economic activities. 

Addressing the digital gender divide requires a thorough understanding of how, when, and why women and girls are prevented from accessing ICTs. While solutions can address issues such as digital literacy and mobile device accessibility, there should also be considerations for gender bias within digital technology, as noted by the study on search engine bias.